Live foods...

Mystroe_TheMyst

Mystroe_TheMyst

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Dec 16, 2002
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I was wondering what would be the easiest live food to "produce" as in feeders...I was wondering if there was another alternative to a continual live food source other than fish fry.

There is mosquitoe larve but how would I maintain the larve levels...I can just leave water out and a few days later there would be larve within. But I want to know of any other ways you guys get food.

Black worms...
Blood worms...
Fish Fry....
Brine Shrimp...

I'm looking for somthing that I could do myself without continually buying the food.

ATM guppy fry is my best go and I will begin to breed them in a 5gal....(in the near future, unless otherwise)
 
what kind of fish do you have? its going to pretty hard to breed enough to support your fish on just that.

mosquitoe larve... i dont think they breed in colder months and you wouldnt want to because of the whole west nile thing. wait are you in AUS? not sure if there is west nile virus there but you can try just put some water in a bucket with some leaves or some live water plants in there

Black worms... not sure how much they cost where you live but they are pretty cheap here not really worth it to breed because on this site it says it takes like months for the worm population to double http://mikejacobs.50megs.com/BlackWorms.html

Blood worms... never tried but i see them sometimes in my pond

Fish Fry.... unless you have a lot of tanks you are not going to have enough to support your fish but it would be good for treats once in a while, you should try breeding convicts since their babies are bigger than the livebearers that are usally used.

Brine Shrimp... brine shrimp is really easy shouldn't be the main food though. you will still need to buy the eggs, theres a lot of sites around on hatching your own.

i would just get composting worms they are really nutritious and easy, plus they will multiply fast.
-john
 
I raise my own fruitflies, which is very easy.
 
Well I am in the land down under...Australia.

Thanks for the spiel Blitzen I will keep all those in mind.

Fruitflies....Do fish eat these? I'm thinking yes obviously becuase you posted, but if you could share more it would be appreciated.

Could I breed guppies in a 3gal, cold water, unfiltered setup? the barest of bare. If yes to all except the filtering, I can get an airator.

Either that or..

I'm going to try this new recipe i have in the back of my mind, which is like a whole combination of mashed vegies and beef heart frozen..(see if i can't get them to be freeze dried)
 
i think you could breed guppies in that setup, provided your "cold" setup is room temperature thats not "too cold". i would add an aerator. in fact, my experience has been higher numbers and better survival rates in unheated tanks, particularly for your basic feeder guppy which is highly adaptable due to the usually crowded, bad conditions they've been living in. the offspring seem similarly tough.

in NJ, this meant temperatures around 70-74 most of the time. here in FL, that means 76-80, and they've actually been producing less. so this leads me to believe that they breed best in low-to-mid-70s temperatures. below 70, i would theorize a dropoff, so that's my caution.
 
Most of my fish eat the fruit flies killis, gups, tets, and killis, etc alike. Other good live foods include micro worms, daphnia, brine shrimp, and grindal worms. Green water teeming with rotifers and paramecium is really good for fry.
 
I raise my fruitflies this way.

1 cup mashed potatoes mix, a tablspoon of sugar and a pinch of yeast. Mix the ingredients, add some vinager (helps to prevents mold) and water. Mix. You might have to add more water or potatoe mix if it is too dry or wet. I myself make it on the dry side.
I then use 20 oz. soda bottles for the cultures. I put some small holes at the top of the bottle, thumbtack. I cut the bottle in half. Place some of the mix in the bottom of the bottle. Tear a piece of paper towel and place in bottle. Cut a small reverse "v" into the top piece. This is so you can place the top into the bottom section a little. I then duct tape the pieces together again. Use a funnel to place some fruitflies from another culter into the new culture. 1 cup of mix is good for 3 20 oz. bottles.
 
Thanks for the replies, I think I might so a simple 3gal setup for guppies, what is the ratio for males and females?

2 males to 6 females? 1:3 ?

Give me a quick run down on how to: I know the gist of it at the moment.
 
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